Johnson County commissioners are on ballot Aug 2. What do these local officials do for you?
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KCQ Votes: Answering questions on August primaries
The Star’s Service Journalism team is providing information you need to know about issues, voting laws and election procedures for Kansas, Missouri and the KC area.
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Half of Johnson County’s board of commissioners is up for election this year, and the Aug. 2 primary will decide the leading candidates for two of these races. But what does the commission actually do, and how does it impact voters’ lives?
The Star spoke with Steve Klika, a retired county commissioner from the 3rd District, who said the commissioners have significant power over local policy. He told The Star that required business closures, mask mandates and other pandemic responses were all decided by the county commission at the start of the pandemic.
“The county has a lot more control on your personal life than anyone probably ever realized,” he said. “That alone should wake folks up to knowing how important those positions are.”
Who serves on the Johnson County Board of County Commissioners?
The Johnson County Board of County Commissioners has seven elected members. Six of them are chosen in nonpartisan, district-specific elections by the voters of their own district. The seventh member is the nonpartisan chair of the board, who is elected by the entire county.
“Every one of the seven commissioners has an equal vote,” Klika told The Star. “The county chair sets kind of a visionary approach, along with the other commissioners, [as to] where the county should go and what it should do.”
This year, three commissioner seats are up for election in November: those from Districts 1, 4 and 5. The chair of the board will also be decided in November.
But a couple of the races also have primaries, and could be on your Aug. 2 ballot.
How does primary voting work for Johnson County commissioners?
Since all commissioners are nonpartisan, there is only a primary election if there are three or more candidates for a given position. This year, that only applies to District 5’s seat and the chair of the board. The primary election picks the top two candidates for each role, while the general election will choose the winner between them.
If you are registered to vote in Johnson County, the candidates vying to be chair of the board will be on your ballot no matter your political affiliation. If you live in the 5th District, your ballot will also contain the primary race for that district’s commissioner. Find out which district you live in here.
Nonpartisan primary ballots are printed for independent, unaffiliated or minor party voters. These ballots only contain Kansas’ amendment on abortion rights and one or both of these nonpartisan Johnson County races. That means that even if you aren’t affiliated with any political party, you can still vote on these commissioner races.
What does the Johnson County Board of County Commissioners do?
The board has a role akin to the U.S. Congress for Johnson County specifically. It makes and passes laws, collects taxes and distributes money to dozens of county departments.
“That’s another reason people ought to be real concerned—because that’s your tax dollars,” said Klika. This year, the commission oversees a budget of $1.45 billion. Here are some of the services the Johnson County Board of County Commissioners handles:
Public health and pandemic response
Emergency services
Parks and recreation
Public transit
Wastewater treatment, trash and sewage
Funding agencies like the health department and the sheriff’s department
The county government works alongside but is separate from city governments within Johnson County.
“Cities are focused on police and fire protection, zoning, development within their communities,” Klika said of the difference. “The county has broader powers over everything from mental health to public transit… it also has responsibility for all the unincorporated areas, including zoning and development.”
Who is running for Johnson County Board of Commissioners?
Below are candidates’ responses to The Star’s voter guide survey.
If a candidate did not respond to the survey, we included their website if they have one.
“People should not take the county election for granted,” Klika said. “They take their role very seriously.”
Do you have more questions about the role of local government in or around Kansas City? Ask the Service Journalism team at kcq@kcstar.com.
This story was originally published July 26, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
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